Testimonies from the Melbury Team

We asked members of The Melbury Team how being a Christian had affected their lives. Below are some of their answers.

Becoming a Christian is helping me day by day slow down, think and appreciate life's greatness. By reading the word of the Lord I am learning little by little how to try and be a better person. Church calms and centres me. Being a Christian guides my parenting, home and work life. Becoming a Christian, i'm told is a long journey with bumps en route and i'm just at the beginning but I'm happy to be travelling!

Being a Christian has changed my life. Knowing Jesus is there for me in times of trouble and sadness and times of joy gives me great comfort and peace. Knowing that at life's end I will be with Jesus for eternity is the greatest gift God could have given me.

Becoming a Christian 5 years ago has totally changed my life and all for the better. I was ridiculed at first by village people and family but now they accept that I am a Christian and realise that I am no different to them and am not a weirdo. They respect me for my beliefs and that I truly believe in God, which is wonderful. They realise that I am not going to preach to them and they feel comfortable with me and laugh and joke as we always did.

When I'm happy, my Faith brings me joy and accentuates my feelings about what it means to be alive. When I'm sad, my Faith supports me through the 'dark' times and gives me hope.

It has enabled me to cope with having cancer and the treatment with the support of Christian friends.

Where would I be without my Christian faith? Not here, I’m sure. God has been with me through some challenging times and has always given me the strength to find a way through. What a gift and a comfort to be thankful for!

Being a Christian isn't about being perfect, or being a 'do gooder' it's about knowing and living out the love of Christ, and meeting together to worship him. I first found this out when I was 14 and I committed myself to Jesus as 'the way, the truth and the life', and I can't imagine living any other way. At St Mary's you will find a modern relaxed style of worship and opportunities to learn about Christ together at home groups and on courses such as Alpha. If you haven't been to church for a while, or are worried about coming for the first time, then just give us a try. You will find a friendly welcome, and a life changing opportunity.

My Christian faith has grown over the years through prayer and study. 25 years ago I was severely ill. The will of God, the prayers of the parish and the work of the hospital saved me. I can never stop thanking God for saving me and enabling me to live a full life.

Being a Christian has been a lifelong way of living. My parents and the whole extended family were Christian. The Lord was in my heart and to me he was with me all of the time. I had a beautiful picture on my bedroom wall of Jesus with little children, birds and animals. This picture of him is always in my heart today and I thank God for that. As I grew older I still loved Jesus, but inevitably I was teased as a “Bible Basher”. This was very hard for me to understand and deal with even though I was eighteen, so I became discreet in whom I talked to about my faith.

It was the early new “enlightened lifestyle for everyone”. Hippies ruled! I was embarrassed that I seemed so naive and for a while I did not go to Church, I went out with the crowd. I did not talk to my parents about this, in a strange way I did enjoy the new life yet I was worried deep down that I was hurting my parents.

One person stood out in our group. He was quiet and fun and we talked a lot about this and that then later he told me he knew I was Christian, and told me that he was Christian and part of his Church. He was still in the Choir and he asked if I would like to go to the church with him. What a relief. Roland and I were married two years later, we brought up our sons and had a wonderful life. Roland (“Wills” as he was known in Maiden Newton) died last year. He is with the Lord now. I have been so very very lost since Roland passed away, but prayer is my solace.